Purpose: The purpose of this research was to describe a sample of adult offspring of seriously mentally ill mothers and explore the relationships between childhood environment and adult well-being variables in the sample. Theoretical Framework: The Salutogenic Model of Health (Antonovsky) and Attachment Theory (Bowlby) provided the theoretical framework. Subjects: A convenience sample of self-identified adult children of seriously mentally ill mothers who responded to calls for participants (N=40). Many participants were recruited via the Internet. Methods: Data were collected through self-administered mailed survey with a response rate of 75%. Results: Over half (52%) of the participants reported their own history of a mental health disorder, and depression was most often identified as the diagnosis. Moderately strong correlations were found between childhood family problems/conflict and adult sense of coherence; childhood family changes/strains and adult sense of coherence; and childhood family resources / mastery and adult quality of life. Content analysis of the contributed information identified themes of (a) difficulty forming friendships, (b) difficulty establishing trust in adulthood, (c) mothering their mother, (d) unavailability of the mother / unpredictability of her response, and (e) needing to heal the wounds of childhood. Conclusions: Participant contributed information greatly clarified the quantitative data in this study. Data identified participant childhoods that were disruptive and sometimes abusive and neglectful. Many participants are still feeling the pain of their childhoods. Nonetheless, most are functioning well, are employed, have at least some college education, and most are achieving other developmental milestones of adulthood. The ability to function well in adulthood despite chaotic and dysfunctional childhoods may be the most remarkable and encouraging finding of this study. Information gained from this study may be useful in working with young children of seriously mentally ill mothers. AN: MN030074

<table><tr><td colspan="2" class="item-title">Adult Children of Seriously Mentally Ill Women: Characteristics, Risk &amp; Resilience</td></tr><tr class="item-sponsor"><td class="label">Conference Sponsor:</td><td class="value">Midwest Nursing Research Society</td></tr><tr class="item-year"><td class="label">Conference Year:</td><td class="value">2003</td></tr><tr class="item-author"><td class="label">Author:</td><td class="value">O'Connell, Kathleen</td></tr><tr class="item-address"><td class="label">Contact Address:</td><td class="value">Department of Nursing, NF 142, 2101 E. Coliseum Blvd, Fort Wayne, IN, 46805, USA</td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="item-abstract">Purpose: The purpose of this research was to describe a sample of adult offspring of seriously mentally ill mothers and explore the relationships between childhood environment and adult well-being variables in the sample. Theoretical Framework: The Salutogenic Model of Health (Antonovsky) and Attachment Theory (Bowlby) provided the theoretical framework. Subjects: A convenience sample of self-identified adult children of seriously mentally ill mothers who responded to calls for participants (N=40). Many participants were recruited via the Internet. Methods: Data were collected through self-administered mailed survey with a response rate of 75%. Results: Over half (52%) of the participants reported their own history of a mental health disorder, and depression was most often identified as the diagnosis. Moderately strong correlations were found between childhood family problems/conflict and adult sense of coherence; childhood family changes/strains and adult sense of coherence; and childhood family resources / mastery and adult quality of life. Content analysis of the contributed information identified themes of (a) difficulty forming friendships, (b) difficulty establishing trust in adulthood, (c) mothering their mother, (d) unavailability of the mother / unpredictability of her response, and (e) needing to heal the wounds of childhood. Conclusions: Participant contributed information greatly clarified the quantitative data in this study. Data identified participant childhoods that were disruptive and sometimes abusive and neglectful. Many participants are still feeling the pain of their childhoods. Nonetheless, most are functioning well, are employed, have at least some college education, and most are achieving other developmental milestones of adulthood. The ability to function well in adulthood despite chaotic and dysfunctional childhoods may be the most remarkable and encouraging finding of this study. Information gained from this study may be useful in working with young children of seriously mentally ill mothers. AN: MN030074 </td></tr></table>

en_GB

dc.date.available

2011-10-26T23:22:04Z

-

dc.date.issued

2011-10-17

en_GB

dc.date.accessioned

2011-10-26T23:22:04Z

-

dc.description.sponsorship

Midwest Nursing Research Society

en_GB

All Items in this repository are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.